Blackcurrant Neva - Ribes nigrum

The Neva® Blackcurrant is a variety with large fruits that innovates in terms of taste. Few blackcurrants are enjoyed raw and natural, when picked or in fruit salad, Neva® and Noiroma® are among them. It is also a beautiful bush, with a regular silhouette and foliage that is particularly healthy and resistant to diseases. The fruit, sweeter than average, is juicy and delicious. It is also very good for cooking and perfect for making juice and syrup. Plant preferably in autumn or in spring with regular watering. Harvesting takes place from early July, a little after Noiroma.

The Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) belongs to the Grossulariaceae family, like red currants. It is a deciduous shrub native to regions ranging from the Pyrenees to Central Asia. Cultivated since the 16th century, the blackcurrant grows spontaneously in cool woods in northeastern Europe.

The fruits appear on 2-year-old branches and become rarer on branches that are 4 years old and older. Harvesting takes place when the fruits are fully black and begin to fall to the ground. Wait for the fruits to fully ripen before harvesting them, otherwise you will have a very acidic and not very sweet harvest. The Neva® variety, developed in Germany, belongs to a new series of blackcurrants selected for the size of their fruits, their sugar content, and their resistance to foliage diseases. The fruits, of a good size, are gathered in plump clusters, rich in aromas and only moderately acidic. Perfect for making jellies and jams, accompanied by other small fruits they will make beautiful fruit salads rich in vitamin C and taste. Adventurous cooks will use them with a duck breast or bison meat. Blackcurrants can be well preserved when dried or frozen.

The Neva Blackcurrant forms a robust bush with a very harmonious habit, reaching a height of 1.50 m (5ft) and spreading about 1 m (3ft). It is very hardy and can withstand -20°C (-4°F) in winter, but it is less tolerant of summer drought. It will fruit very well in partial shade in the warmer regions of the country. The leaves, deciduous, are large, with three to five lobes with toothed edges, bright green and pleasantly fragrant when crushed. Leaves, fruits, and buds are intensely fragrant, due to the presence of glands containing essential oils, used in perfumery.

Flowering takes place in spring, in the form of small bell-shaped flowers that are often not very visible. Neva® is a self-fertile variety, but the proximity of different blackcurrant varieties optimizes pollination and improves the harvest. It is recommended, in any planting, to alternate varieties and species, when space allows. In the garden, create a small gourmet hedge by mixing blackcurrants, red currants, and raspberries, for example, along the edge of a vegetable garden, or place the blackcurrant within a flower shrub border.